Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services/Division of Supportive Living/Bureau of Aging and Long Term Care Resources
February 2002

Reviewed by Loree Cook-Daniels

A comprehensive manual designed to encourage and guide the establishment of interdisciplinary (multidisciplinary) teams has been produced and generously made available via email by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services/Division of Supportive Living/Bureau of Aging and Long Term Care Resources.

The manual, “Wisconsin Elder Abuse Interdisciplinary Team (I-Team) Manual,” was written specifically to help Wisconsin communities meet a new legislative requirement that each lead elder abuse agency create and maintain an interdisciplinary team. It therefore includes some Wisconsin-specific information. However, the vast majority of the 100+ page document would be relevant in any jurisdiction.

The body of the manual includes the following topics:

• Purpose of an I-Team

• Benefits of an I-Team

• Description of the I-Team Process

• Obstacles/Problems to Avoid with an I-Team

• Role of the I-Team Coordinator

• Suggested Composition of the I-Team

• Elements to be Covered in an I-Team Membership Agreement

• Membership Requirements/Rules for an I-Team

• Training/Orienting New I-Team Members

• Case Selection Criteria

• Final Thoughts.

All of this material is concise (14 pages total) and clearly written, and should provide policy-makers with a clear understanding of the “hows and whys” of I-Teams. In some ways the more interesting and potentially useful part of the manual are the appendices. Here is where you’ll find sample I-Team mission statements, recruitment materials, agreements and confidentiality statements, agendas, case presentation worksheet, and much more. For this reviewer, some of the most fascinating appendices are two-page position descriptions for the following “types” of I-Team members: law enforcement, medical, legal, domestic violence program advocate, clergy, financial, and mental health. These descriptions, originally developed by the Illinois Department of Aging’s Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, outline the major responsibilities of each type of professional, what information resources she or he is expected to share; what his or her education, experience, and training requirements should be; and the knowledge, skills, and abilities she or he should have.

Although some of the appendices are not available via this format, the majority of the manual can be emailed to you. Address an e-mail to abramson@mailbag.com and put “Wisconsin I-Team Manual please” in the subject line. The body of your message should contain your email address, nothing more. Please don’t send other email, even thank-yous! In the event your email is returned as undeliverable, you can call Betsy Abramson, the manual’s author, at 608-663-3599.